Stanford Research Director, Former Dean Revealed to Be Bankman-Fried's Bond Signers

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A federal judge ruled the names of Sam Bankman-Fried's bond co-signers should be revealed after Bankman-Fried did not apply to the appeals court.

District Judge Lewis Kaplan, of the Southern District of New York, originally ruled in favor of news organizations, including CoinDesk, which argued the names of Bankman-Fried's signers were in the public interest, but did not rule pending an appeal. While Bankman-Fried's attorneys filed a notice that they would appeal, they did not file the actual appeal, the judge said in a new ruling Wednesday.

The signers were revealed to be Stanford University's Andreas Paepcke and Larry Kramer, who put up $200,000 and $500,000, respectively. Bankman-Fried's parents are both Stanford instructors. Paepcke is a senior research scientist while Kramer is a former dean of Stanford Law School.

Kramer told CoinDesk it was his friendship with Bankman-Fried's parents, Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman, that led him to post bail for the now-disgraced former FTX CEO.

"Joe Bankman and Barbara Fried have been close friends of my wife and I since the mid-1990s. During the past two years, while my family faced a harrowing battle with cancer, they have been the truest of friends – bringing food, providing moral support and frequently stepping in at moment's notice to help. In turn, we have sought to support them as they face their own crisis," Kramer said in a statement provided to CoinDesk.

"My actions are in my personal capacity, and I have no business dealings or interest in this matter other than to help our loyal and steadfast friends. Nor do I have any comment or position regarding the substance of the legal matter itself, which is what the trial will be for," Kramer added."

Paepcke did not immediately return CoinDesk's request for comment.

Bankman-Fried was arrested in December but released on a $250 million bond. His parents signed for the bond, putting their Stanford home up as collateral. The names of the other two signers were initially redacted.

UPDATE (Feb. 15, 2023, 18:47 UTC): Adds additional details.

UPDATE (Feb. 15, 2023, 19:41 UTC): Adds comment from Larry Kramer.